Brushy Hill Ranch Rules – Deer Season
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Check-In & Check-Out Policy
Hunting Rules
Weaponry Rules
Driving Rules
Camp House Rules
Emergency Numbers
- EVERY hunter MUST stop and check-in, and fill out a mandatory hunter liability release form, at the Brushy Hill Office when they arrive at the ranch- prior to going into any cabin or pasture. This will allow us to welcome you and provide you with a map of your hunting area. The ranch office is located 4 miles south of Sabinal, TX on Hwy. 187- just north of the Ranchero Creek crossing.
- All hunting fees must be paid, in full, and a liability release form signed by each hunter BEFORE the hunt begins. All hunts begin at noon and end at noon (unless otherwise arranged in advance) and proceed, as scheduled, on a 'rain or shine' basis. Failure to pay and sign the liability release form may result in trespassing and removal from ranch.
- NO harvest guarantees are made; and no refunds will be offered unless hunts are canceled at least 60 days in advance of the scheduled start date for the hunt.
- Hunters may check-in between 10 am and noon, for the afternoon/evening hunt. Late arrivals (after noon) may not be allowed to enter the pastures or camps until later that night, after the evening hunt, or even the following morning because driving and setting up is not permitted during the evening hunt or at night. Night entry is discouraged. If it is unavoidable, a fee of $50 per person will be applied.
- Hunters MUST check-out at the ranch office before departing!
- Scouting is hunting; thus, scouting fees are the same as hunting fees.
- Non-hunters are welcome if there's cabin space available. Please inquire when you book your hunt. $35/day fee for lodging non-hunters.
- Hunters must observe ALL Brushy Hill Ranch rules and ethical hunting practices, as well as ALL Texas Parks & Wildlife Rules & Regulations.
- All bucks harvested MUST have 14” MINIMUM INSIDE SPREAD! Violation of this rule will result in a $750 replacement fee! Bucks that are harvested with a 12" or less inside spread will be assessed a $1000 replacement fee and may result in removal from the ranch!
- Mature Does MAY be harvested! 1 doe per hunt. If you are hunting 5 days or longer you may shoot 2 does.
- Nubbin bcks that are mistakenly harvested will result in a $1000 replacement fee and will count as the hunter's buck.
- Long-horn spikes MAY be harvested if they have 2 unbranched antlers that are a MINIMUM of 7" long, each! Violation of this rule will result in a $750 replacement fee. Long-horn spikes DO NOT COUNT as the "buck(s)" included with your hunt price; but they must be properly tagged with one of your TPWD "buck" tags. Please remember that we are a 3-buck county. So, you can shoot a long-horn spike and help us manage our whitetail herd and STILL have the tags to two harvest 2 trophy bucks!
- Sitting in, encroaching on or moving a blind/stand that the ranch has set for semi-guided client will result in a $250 fine. If you do not own, and did not set, a stand- DO NOT SIT IN IT!
- NO hunting within 75 yards of a deer feeder and no tampering with deer feeders. Tampering with feeders will result in a $100 fee or removal from the ranch.
- NO fishing allowed on the ranch. Violation of this rule will result in an additional $150 fee!
- Calling of predators is STRICTLY forbidden! Hunters are permitted to shoot predators that happen past their stand but using mouth calls or electronic calls is strictly forbidden! We have a predator control program and do NOT want the predators "call wise" or 'educated!'
- Exotics, predators & varmints may be taken, without limit, at no additional charge.
- Make SURE not to shoot an endangered Jaguarundi- a species of cat that looks like a cross between a mountain lion and a weasel. Click here for more information on the Jaguarundi, including photos of this beautiful and endangered cat!
*Hunters are permitted to hunt all day long, during legal (Texas Parks & Wildlife) hunting hours, if they wish. However, hunters who want to hunt all day need to be aware that driving is permitted between the "Official Hunting Hours" listed above- to give other hunters a chance to scout and setup.
Hunting hours are:
Morning Hunt - 30 Minutes Before Sunrise to 10:00AM
Evening Hunt - 3PM to 30 Minutes After Sunset
- Harvested game – All harvested game must be promptly reported to ranch staff
- Wounded game – Hunters must make every possible effort to recover any game they wound; and all wounded game must be reported to ranch staff promptly.
- If blood is drawn on a deer, IT COUNTS AS YOUR ANIMAL! Hunters who are found to be wounding deer and continuing to hunt for more deer will be removed from the ranch! No exceptions.
- Party hunting is NOT allowed! Party hunting is the practice of shooting other hunter's allotment of animals. In other words, you may not shoot your buddy's buck or your child's buck. If you have harvested your trophy animal, you may NOT shoot another trophy animal just because someone in your group has failed to do so. Same thing applies to does and turkey.
- Game tracking services are available from independent trackers with dogs or from our ranch manager, Nick Anderson, for a fee. For information contact Nick. Call/Text 512-587-8651
- Hunters may not, under any circumstances, cross out of their assigned hunting area or into grounds prohibitted to hunting! Trespassing onto other hunters' grounds during hunting hours may result in a busted hunt and the guilty party will be expected to pay for the disturbed hunt(s). Trespassing onto neighboring properties may result in removal from the ranch.
- Hunters may not, under any circumstances, use or disturb other hunters' setups!
- Field dress all game at designated racks or in the pasture at least 200 yards from the camp house. Dispose of all animal remains in designated areas at least 200 yards from camp.
- Walking or driving through pastures, during hunting hours, is strictly forbidden. See “Driving Rules” section for more details.
- Night hog hunting is prohibited during deer season (Sept-Jan).
- Corn Route is run at ranch staff's discretion during wet weather. The corn route is a part of our management program and is a routine- not a 'service.' So hunters should not expect or depend on the corn route and should put out their own corn. A sack of corn is inexpensive ($8-$10) and is more than enough to last for a week-long hunt. Corn is available at several stores in Sabinal including the "One-Stop" gas station at the intersection of Hwy. 90 and Hwy. 187. We make every effort, when we are able to run the route, to place corn where it favors our hunters; but if you want corn placed in a particular place, please put out your own corn as a marker/target and we'll TRY to splash some right where you want it!
- No killing non-poisonous snakes, especially Blue Indigo snakes. Blue Indigo snakes feed on rattlesnake and are a big part of controling the rattlesnake population. For information on the Blue Indigo Snake, including pictures of them to help you identify them, PLEASE CLICK HERE!
- No excessive tree trimming or brush cutting. However, you are free to cut whatever is necesary to brush in your blinds well.
- DO NOT leave trash (i.e. beer cans, cigarette butts, etc.) in the pastures! Dispose of all trash properly- in barrels at the camphouse.
- No artifacts (i.e. arrowheads, antlers, horns, etc.) may be removed from the ranch.
- Fully guided hunts, semi-guided hunts and bow hunting lessons are available from our head guide, Nick Anderon. Contact Nick (512-587-8651) for pricing and availability.
- <Brushy Hill Ranch and its camps are frequently monitored by Texas game wardens, Brushy Hill Ranch staff and the “friendly, ethical hunter program.”
- No firearms of any type are allowed on this ranch- absolutely no exceptions! Any firearms MUST be surrendered to the Brushy Hill Office for safe keeping for the duration of your hunt. Possession of a firearm in any pasture or camp house may result in immediate removal from the ranch.
- Rage broadheads and Ramcat broadheads are the ONLY mechanical broadheads allowed on the ranch - Absolutely NO exceptions! Although we are finally permitting the use of these 2 mechanicl broadheads, we ask that hunters do not take 'long' shots at whitetail deer. Whitetail have such fast reaction times that many shots past 30 yards result in a wounded deer that's not recovered. Since a wounded deer is considered the same as a harvested deer, we encourage hunters to be careful at what they choose to shoot.
- Crossbows are NOT permitted for whitetail deer. At the discretion of Brushy Hill Ranch staff, exceptions may be made for physically challenged hunters. If this is the case, the hunter must declare the crossbow to Brushy Hill Ranch staff at check-in and provide a medical note of handicap from doctor.
- Brushy Hill Ranch staff reserves the right to enter cabins and search any vehicle at any time or to request any hunter to leave this ranch for any rule violation.
- ATVs/UTVs/Rangers & 4-wheelers are not allowed on the ranch and this policy will be STRICTLY enforced! The game is startled by the unique sound of their engines since not use them in our day-to-day operations. This can lead to poor hunting conditions which may effect your hunt and subsequent hunts; and is not fair to other hunters. However, during periods of heavy rainfall, when road conditions on the ranch deteriorate, ATVs may be allowed, temporarily. This is a rare occurrence and is solely at the discretion of ranch management.
- Hunters must maintain all gates in the open or closed position in which they are found. Please keep in mind that this is a fully working ranch with livestock on it.
- Drive times are for getting in and out of stands, setting stands, scouting and relocation and are the ONLY times that driving is permitted on ranch roads. Night driving is not permitted during deer season. Keep in mind that excessive driving on the ranch roads usually results in poor hunting. Hunters driving/walking during hunting hours or non-drive times may be required to reimburse those affected, for their hunt!
Drive Times are:
Mornings – Up until 30 minutes before Sunrise – for getting into stands
Mid-day – 10am til 3pm – for setting up, scouting, relocation & packing up
Evening – 30 minutes after sunset – for returning to camp
- Many ranch roads may become impassable during, and just after, wet weather- especially if you don't have 4-wheel drive. Please use discretion when crossing mud holes, tank dams, creeks & rivers- when in doubt turn around or walk! If you get stuck and require Brushy Hill Ranch staff assistance to pull you out, fees will be assessed as follows:
$100 - Simple truck and chain pull-out
$200 - Tractor and chain pull-out
- Hunters are required to remove any flagging tape, trail and/or road markers they use!
If you experience any plumbing, electrical, gas or other problems in the cabins, please contact the Brushy Hill Ranch Office at: 830-988-2802 or call/text Ranch Manager, Nick Anderson, at 512-587-8651
- LLeave all indoor & outdoor faucets dripping during freezing weather- to avoid broken pipes and water shut-off.
- ALL bar-b-que pits, fireplaces and campfires MUST be extinguished before you leave camp!
- Use EXTREME caution with ANY open flame on the ranch! The dry climate in south Texas makes any flame, INCLUDING CIGARETTES OR CIGARS, a real fire hazard. Please use liquid to extinguish your smokes or any open flame you may have while you are in camp or in the pasture.
- Please remove muddy boots before entering cabins, to help keep the cabins clean.
- Keep cabins as clean as possible! This will help keep insects and animals out. Wash all dishes & cookware that you use daily. Your stay will be much more comfortable if each hunter takes a few minutes a day to straighten up.
- Housekeeper comes once a week - generally on Sunday.
- Lights out at 10:00 PM, unless all hunters in the cabin agree.
Uvalde County Sheriff – 830-278-9147
Sabinal Fire Department – 830-988-2500
TX Parks & Wildlife, Game Warden (Uvalde County) – 210-348-7375
TX Parks & Wildlife, Operation Game Thief – 1-800-792-4263
Fire Department – 830-988-2500
Sabinal Emergency Medical Services (EMS) – 830-988-2233
Some images on this page are courtesy of Hendershot Photography.
©Brushy Hill Ranch, P.O. Box 1110, Sabinal, TX 78881 (830) 988-2802
All images and content are property of Brushy Hill Ranch and may NOT be used in any way without permission